Call for Playwrights - Ladies Reading Room
PerSIStence Theatre is calling for established and emerging playwrights in Newfoundland and Labrador to submit their proposal for next year's Ladies Reading Room project.
This project is inspired by the Ladies Reading Room events that were held in St. John’s in the early part of the 20th century. These events protested the restrictions placed on women’s participation in the public sphere. Women of the time were not allowed to attend or speak at the local debating societies.
PerSIStence Theatre will be hosting seven public events in homage to the original Ladies Reading Room, on the first Tuesday of each month, from April through October 2021 at the E.B. Foran Room at City Hall.
Each event will begin with a short theatrical performance (5 to 10 minutes), set in 1921, written by a local female playwright, directed by a local female director, with costumes designed and constructed by local designers, and performed by a local female actor.
Following the theatrical performance, we will “jump forward in time” to host an expert panel discussion on the same topic from a current-day perspective, involving participation from the community. Importantly, links on progress (or lack-thereof) between 1921 and 2021 will be emphasized.
The commission fee for each short play is $1,000.00.
Interested playwrights should view the look-books and materials attached to each topic below. Our look books are not exhaustive and interested artists should feel free to use other points of inspiration for their proposals.
Please submit proposals to The Ladies Reading Room Committee c/o Erika Squires at erika@persistencetheatre.com with the subject YOUR NAME - Ladies Reading Room Proposal. The proposal should be attached as a PDF and be 250 words or less. Please feel free to submit a proposals for each topic you are interested in. Proposals will be accepted until October 23rd, 2020.
*PerSIStence Theatre recognizes the limiting nature of the binary use of the word ‘woman.’ We serve and welcome anyone on the gender spectrum who identifies either always or some of the time as a woman, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centres the experiences of women.
This project is inspired by the Ladies Reading Room events that were held in St. John’s in the early part of the 20th century. These events protested the restrictions placed on women’s participation in the public sphere. Women of the time were not allowed to attend or speak at the local debating societies.
PerSIStence Theatre will be hosting seven public events in homage to the original Ladies Reading Room, on the first Tuesday of each month, from April through October 2021 at the E.B. Foran Room at City Hall.
Each event will begin with a short theatrical performance (5 to 10 minutes), set in 1921, written by a local female playwright, directed by a local female director, with costumes designed and constructed by local designers, and performed by a local female actor.
Following the theatrical performance, we will “jump forward in time” to host an expert panel discussion on the same topic from a current-day perspective, involving participation from the community. Importantly, links on progress (or lack-thereof) between 1921 and 2021 will be emphasized.
The commission fee for each short play is $1,000.00.
Interested playwrights should view the look-books and materials attached to each topic below. Our look books are not exhaustive and interested artists should feel free to use other points of inspiration for their proposals.
Please submit proposals to The Ladies Reading Room Committee c/o Erika Squires at erika@persistencetheatre.com with the subject YOUR NAME - Ladies Reading Room Proposal. The proposal should be attached as a PDF and be 250 words or less. Please feel free to submit a proposals for each topic you are interested in. Proposals will be accepted until October 23rd, 2020.
*PerSIStence Theatre recognizes the limiting nature of the binary use of the word ‘woman.’ We serve and welcome anyone on the gender spectrum who identifies either always or some of the time as a woman, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centres the experiences of women.
Overview Proposal Requirements
- Proposals must be for one-woman shows of five to ten minutes in length
- Proposals must be 250 words or less
- Proposals must be attaches as a PDF and sent with the subject YOUR NAME - Ladies Reading Room Proposal to The Ladies Reading Room Committee c/o erika@persistencetheatre.com
- Proposals must be centred around one of the topics, although you may submit separate proposals for each topic you are interested in.
- Deadline is October 23rd, 2020
